100TECHWOMEN PROJECT LAUNCHING THIS MONTH

NZTech Women will this month launch 100TechWomen which will feature a collection of inspiring stories from New Zealand’s brightest female tech talent from around the country.

Edwina Mistry, executive director of NZTech Women, says the launch is designed to inspire the future generation of women in tech and celebrate the contribution of women in the tech industry.

“The 100 TechWomen project is setting out to draw young women into tech careers. We are profiling 100 successful Kiwi tech women which we hope will accelerate the number of bright young women into tech careers,” she says.

“The saying you can’t be what you can’t see rings true for girls who have great potential in tech but a lack awareness of the world of opportunities available to them. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that less than one in 20 girls considers a career in technology compared to one in five boys.

“The late July launch will feature the first of the 100TechWomen working in tech roles around New Zealand who will share their career stories.

“Their stories will form a digital collection, which will be made available online via the NZTech website. The collection will become a valuable resource for schools, universities and early-career women to help them see what they can be.”

Mistry was the first woman to work in the tech sector in Bahrain and now helps Kiwi women break down barriers.

She says several women have just been recognised for their achievements in technology at the WIICTA awards. They include IBM’s Jo Healey who has a stellar tech career spanning more than 25 years.

Delia Gill at IT Engine won an award in recognition of more than two decades service to the technology industry in New Zealand. Though Gill has no tech background, she currently runs a team of eight IT engineers, as managing director of IT Engine.

Meanwhile, the Shadowtech days for 2018 have just finished across the country with programmes for years 9 to 11 schoolgirls. Shadowtech days were held in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, Palmerston North and Hamilton and Dunedin.

The events gave opportunities for girls to experience what working in a tech job is like. Only 23 percent of New Zealand females work in tech, the fastest growing sector in New Zealand.

More than 600 girls, 100 companies and 250 mentors participated in the programme and NZTech Women plans to increase it next year by going to the smaller regions in New Zealand and encouraging more Maori and Pasifika participation.